[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2006, Book I)]
[June 10, 2006]
[Pages 1115-1116]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



The President's Radio Address
June 10, 2006

    Good morning. This was a good week for the cause of freedom. On 
Wednesday night in Iraq, U.S. military forces killed the terrorist 
Zarqawi.
    The killing of Zarqawi is an important victory in the global war on 
terror. This Jordanian-born terrorist was the operational commander of 
Al Qaida in Iraq. He led a campaign of car bombings and kidnapings and 
suicide attacks that has taken the lives of many American forces, 
international aid workers, and thousands of innocent Iraqis. Zarqawi had 
a long history of murder and bloodshed. Before September the 11th, 2001, 
he ran a camp in Afghanistan that trained terrorists, until coalition 
forces destroyed that camp. He fled to Iraq, where he received medical 
care and set up operations with terrorist associates.
    After the fall of Saddam, Zarqawi went 
underground and declared his allegiance to Usama bin Laden, who called him the ``Prince of Al Qaida in Iraq'' and 
instructed terrorists around the world to ``listen to him and obey 
him.'' Zarqawi personally beheaded American hostages and other civilians 
in Iraq. He masterminded the destruction of the United Nations 
headquarters in Baghdad, and he was responsible for the assassination of 
an American diplomat in Jordan and the bombing of hotels in Amman. His 
goals in Iraq were clear: He wanted to stop the rise of democracy, drive 
coalition forces out, incite a civil war, and turn that country into a 
safe haven from which Al Qaida could launch new attacks on America and 
other free nations. Instead, Zarqawi died in the free and democratic 
Iraq that he fought so hard to prevent, and the world is better off 
because this violent man will never kill again.
    Iraqis can be justly proud of their new Government and its early 
steps to improve their security. And Americans can be enormously proud 
of the men and women of our Armed Forces and the intelligence officers 
who support them. In the past 3 years, our troops have overthrown a 
cruel dictator, fought the terrorists and 
insurgents house to house, and trained Iraqi forces to defend their new 
democracy. All the while, they stayed on the trail of this brutal 
terrorist, persevering through years of near misses and false leads and 
never giving up hope. This week, they got their man. And all Americans 
are grateful for their remarkable achievement.
    Zarqawi is dead, but the difficult and necessary mission in Iraq 
continues. In the weeks ahead, violence in Iraq may escalate. The 
terrorists and insurgents will seek to prove that they can carry on 
without

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Zarqawi. And coalition and Iraqi forces are seizing this moment to 
strike the enemies of freedom in Iraq at this time of uncertainty for 
their cause. The work ahead will require more sacrifice and the 
continued patience of the American people.
    I'm encouraged by Prime Minister Maliki's determination to defeat our common enemies and bring 
security and rule of law to all Iraqis. This week, he took another major 
step toward this objective when he completed the formation of his 
Cabinet, naming a new Minister of Defense, a new Minister of the Interior, 
and a new Minister of State for National Security. These new leaders will help the Government address its top 
priorities: reconciliation, reconstruction, and putting an end to the 
kidnapings, beheadings, and suicide bombings.
    As they pursue these goals, they will have America's full support. 
On Monday, I will convene my national security team and other key 
members of my Cabinet at Camp David to discuss the way ahead in Iraq. On 
Tuesday, Iraq's new Ambassador to the United States will join us, and we will have a teleconference 
discussion with Prime Minister Maliki and 
members of his Cabinet. Together we will determine how to best deploy 
America's resources in Iraq and achieve our shared goal of an Iraq that 
can govern itself, sustain itself, and defend itself.
    There's still difficult work ahead in Iraq. Yet this week, the 
ideology of terror has suffered a severe blow. Al Qaida has lost its 
leader in Iraq; the Iraqi people have completed a democratic government 
that is determined to defend them; and freedom has achieved a great 
victory in the heart of the Middle East.
    Thank you for listening.

Note: The address was recorded at 1:45 p.m. on June 8 in the Cabinet 
Room at the White House for broadcast at 10:06 a.m. on June 10. The 
transcript was made available by the Office of the Press Secretary on 
June 9 but was embargoed for release until the broadcast. In his 
address, the President referred to senior Al Qaida associate Abu Musab 
Al Zarqawi, who was killed in Baquba, Iraq, on June 7; Usama bin Laden, 
leader of the Al Qaida terrorist organization; former President Saddam 
Hussein, Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, Minister of Defense Abd al-Qadir 
al-Mufriji, Minister of the Interior Jawad al-Bulani, and Minister of 
State for National Security Shirwan al-Waili of Iraq; and Iraq's 
Ambassador to the U.S. Samir Shakir al-Sumaydi. The Office of the Press 
Secretary also released a Spanish language transcript of this address.